'I miss mom's corpses…'
Skeletons wouldn't stop rising, trying to grab Sunny's limbs. He slashed at them again and again, [BloodRaven] blurred as its slashes met the undead beings.
It had been some time since they entered the damn catacombs, the man made narrow tunnels made everything harder, especially since he needed to stay in formation with his allies. Using his Shadow Dance, he mirrored his Shadow's Saint's grounded combat style.
He was already having to augment himself with his shadows to deal with everything, one in his odachi, one in his armor, and one on himself.
The others were also struggling against the never ending horde of undead bones.
Effie used her shield and strength to serve as a vanguard, with her, his summoned Shadow Saint and Nephis were by her side, using their skill and technique to defeat the attacking skeletons. Nephis with her fluid, yet devastating movements, and Saint with her destructive and defensive style.
Caster and Sunny followed right after in formation, any enemy that passed the vanguard had to face and be destroyed by them, Caster was using a green jiyan thanks to the narrow environment and Sunny used his [BloodRaven] and occasionally [Prowling Thorn] if the undead got too close.
In the back, Kai and Cassie stood in the back, carrying a falcada and a rapier respectively, well, the seer used an Echo that took the form of a rapier, the Quiet Dancer.
The last in the formation was the Dark Wraith, Sunny's Shadow wolf made sure to support any party that struggled.
No skeleton could take them alone. But there were hundreds of undead.
Sunny crushed the torso of a skeleton he took down, only for its hand to still move to his leg, trying to pierce him with its sharp fingers, but they broke almost instantly thanks to the [Mantle of the Underworld].
"These things are annoying…"
"Speak for yourself!"
Caster destroyed a skeleton that passed the vanguard.
"Not everyone has Ascended armor!"
Another one jumped on him, biting his already damaged gauntlet and grabbing his arm.
Caster would have pierced it, however another skeleton reconstructed from the ground and grabbed his glowing jian.
The scion cursed and was ready to use his aspect to destroy them.
But Sunny threw the [Prowling Thorn] up, flipping it and catching it with his fingers in a throwing position, launching towards the skeleton biting Caster's gauntlet.
The being head was struck by the knife, making it jerk backwards and realise its teeth from Caster's gauntlet, letting him wind up a punch into the skeleton that was holding his sword. The being was broken once again, letting the blade free.
"Thanks."
Sunny pulled the invisible line that connected his wrist to the knife, grabbing it once again.
"Don'---"
"Stop talking and pay attention!"
Effie's voice pierced their ears as they resumed the endless fight against the horde.
The cohort was already in a bad state, exhaustion getting to them, and yet they didn't stop, they couldn't stop.
Nephis had already begun using her aspect, white flames danced in the narrow corridor, burning the skeletons. Her wounds healing beneath her mangled armor.
Sunny couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with her using her aspect, knowing her flaw, but it was inevitable, he needed to accept she was going to live in pain.
Just like he will have to live with the weight of responsibility.
He decided to transfer his shadow that was augmenting his armor to Saint, now she could hold off even more of the skeletons.
Kai and Cassie were holding their own, but even though they were at the back of the formation, even they showed signs of their exhaustion, the undead started to pile up on all sides, and they had no intention of leaving their weakest members rest.
"How long till the end Effie?"
"What do you mean 'the end'? This is the warm up!"
Sunless eyes widened, then he sighed.
'What a pleasant warm-up. I hope they are having a better time…'
—
Motza had been alone his whole life.
His parents died because of a Nightmare Gate opening, he was too young to remember them. And so, he didn't cry, he couldn't, he just continued living.
His relatives either didn't care or didn't exist, anyway, he stayed at an orphanage for half of his childhood. No one wanted to talk to him, scared of him… Or did Motza ignore them? He didn't care, it didn't matter.
The other half, he was trained to be an assassin.
He doesn't quite remember why, but someone found something in him, be it talent or something else, he was taken by a Legacy Clan, an important one, so much so he was sent to the Dream Real to be trained.
Every day was training, education and indoctrination, to be as cold as possible, a machine, forged to kill.
There was no warmth, no love, no care. Instructors changed with frequency, his adopter didn't want Motza to get attached to anything, so much so he barely saw him, only once a month, and it was only to review everything.
He needed to know how to kill, who to kill, the best way to kill. And so he did.
Be it either from gratitude or lack of choice, Motza followed every order, every instruction, learned every lesson.
He became a blade made to serve.
He trained so much he lost part of his sight.
A special day, a day of training, a spar with real weapons, to train his restraint and precision. He needed to incapacitate without killing, an assassin needed to know when to kill and when to not kill. But his opponent had no such restriction.
Motza did as he was told, he was precise, efficient, better…
And yet, it didn't stop the blade from destroying his eye.
For the first time, he failed, he lost, after all the training, the exhaustion, the sacrifice, the search for… Validation, warmth, he passed out for the first time.
He woke up expecting his vision to be perfect again, only to find darkness on the left half of his face.
His "father", the one who adopted him, his master, soon appeared, and instead of empathy, he received a lesson.
A reminder… That he was alone.
"Let this scar be a reminder that you failed. Do not break again."
The man walked out without saying anything else.
Motza was just a tool, and if a tool broke, it was useless.
And the Dream Realm made Motza the most useless tool, not only did his metal crack, but he became unusable. And there was no blade more useless than the one that you could not even wield.
The Forgotten Shore took away all contact with his master, he was free, yet he was also imprisoned, how ironic…
He was alone, and he would be alone, like always… If that girl didn't push her way into his life.
"What's your name?"
Motza looked back, the girl was there again, they had been in the same classes in the academy, and she had also asked that question, tried to talk to him for some reason. He never answered.
And yet… This time…
"Motza."
His programming that had been drilled into him since childhood, had found a glitch.
"Oh? Motza? Nice to meet you. My name is Nix."
For the first time… He was not alone…
—
Motza tightened the makeshift tourniquet, trying to make the bleeding stop.
"Agh… Damn monster!"
He was able to keep up thanks to his aspect, but as soon as Harus saw him, darkness overcame his world and he became blind.
That was how he lost his arm, Motza tried to attack through a blind spot, but the Hunchback must have some perception attribute, because he immediately found Motza and used his chains to rip off his arm.
And that smile… He enjoys his life.
His life of being a tool, a blade… His life is for Gunlaug.
'That… Is what I was supposed to be…'
He shook his head, that was the past, now is not the time.
Motza's normal strategy won't work, he would need to change plans. He didn't need to kill Harus, in fact, he couldn't, the wards needed to stay alive for Seishan's plan to work without many casualties.
'So stalling works too.'
He sheathed his dagger, [Assassin's Implement] and grabbed some knives from [Endless Torture], three thowing knives rested between his fingers.
Thankfully, he had his own location attribute [Wraith Born], he knew the location of anyone in his mist.
Meaning he didn't need to expose himself to Harus.
"Alright Hunchback… Try to kill me."
—
Gemma's torn torso burned and cauterized as his opponent's flaming sword deemed his mangled armor as useless.
He staggered back, his skin looked like burned oakwood, he had been blinded by the fire. The heat was intense, the azure flames coming from Kira's weapon were the hottest. His skill was unparalleled, and Gemma never was really able to reach him…
Their battle was as astonishing as it was horrific, two of the greatest Sleepers of the Dark City fought, displaying their unmatched experience and prowess. Even if one of them was undoubtedly superior to the other.
However, Gemma's skin soon began to heal, the cuts and wounds closed, the heat ceased, and the burns disappeared, his sight returned.
Regeneration, that was the aspect of the Leader of the Pathfinders. He got up, shattered sword in hand, breathing heavily as Kira stood a few meters from him.
The black armored knight sighed.
"Enough Gemma, you are a guide, not a warrior."
Gemma tossed his weapon aside, dismissing it as he did.
"I am a hunter Kira…"
He summoned a pair of curved blades. Grasping the two Kukris, Gemma flipped one on his hand and positioned the other back, in an offensive stance.
"And hunters don't stop until their prey lies dead on their feet."